Insect repellent substrate for headwear

ABSTRACT

An insect repellent substrate ( 10 ) includes a fabric base material ( 12 ) made of felt which is impregnated with a repellent carrier composition ( 14 ). The carrier composition ( 14 ) includes a mixture of wax and a naturally occurring insect repellent such as pyrethrum oil. The carrier composition ( 14 ) may also include scented or aromatic oils such as citronella oil, rosemary oil, eucalyptus oil and neem oil. Strips of the fabric base material may be attached to headwear such as a headband or cap so that it is in contact with the wearer&#39;s hair or body. Active constituents of the carrier composition ( 14 ) provide effective treatment and prevention of headlice and other parasitic insects.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an insect repellent substrate forrepelling lice and the like insects, and relates particularly, thoughnot exclusively, to headwear having a strip of said insect repellentsubstrate provided in connection therewith.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Infestations of headlice and other parasitic insects are a perennialproblem, particularly in schools where the lice are easily transmittedfrom child to child. Up to the present time there has been very littlethat one can do to prevent a child from being infected with headlice.Regular inspection to identify nits, which are the eggs of lice, is theonly way to detect an infestation. Treatment includes combing the hairwith a fine-toothed comb and/or washing the hair with a special shampoowhich contains chemical substances designed to kill the lice and nits.

However, the shampoos that are currently available to treat headlicetypically contain harsh synthetic chemicals such as permethrium,piperonyl butoxide and organophosphates which have been known to causeskin irritation. In the United Kingdom across the counter sales ofshampoos containing organophosphates have recently been banned becauseof health concerns.

A further disadvantage with shampoos is that they only treat the hair atthe time of use. They do not prevent the child from being re-infectedwhen he/she returns to school.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention was developed with a view to providing a licerepellent substrate suitable for headwear that can kill any lice presentin the hair as well as preventing any further infestation of headlice.Although the present invention will be described primarily in relationto the treatment and prevention of lice infestation, it is to beunderstand that it also has application to the treatment and/orprevention of infestations of other parasitic insects such as fleas.Furthermore, although the insect repellent substrate is particularlysuitable for headwear it may also have other applications such as, forexample, under a pillow at night.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided aninsect repellent substrate for repelling lice and the like insects andfor attachment to a garment, the substrate comprising:

-   -   a strip of fabric base material impregnated with a repellent        carrier composition and being adapted to attach to the garment        in a manner that will ensure continuous contact of the insect        repellent substrate with the wearer's hair or body, the carrier        composition including a mixture of wax and an insect repellent        whereby, in use, the wearer's body heat causes the carrier        composition to soften to provide a controlled release of the        insect repellent from the fabric base material.

Preferably the insect repellent is a naturally occurring compound. Morepreferably the insect repellent includes an extract from the pyrethrumflower. Most preferably the insect repellent is pyrethrum oil.Advantageously the carrier composition further includes one or morescented or aromatic oils. More preferably the carrier compositionincludes citronella oil and rosemary oil, which are also mild insectrepellents. Preferably the carrier composition further includes neemoil, a naturally occurring insect repellent.

Typically the wax is a paraffin wax. Alternatively, the wax is beeswaxobtained from honeycomb of the bee.

Preferably the carrier composition includes between 0.5% to 6.0% byvolume of pyrethrum. Preferably the carrier composition includes between0.5% to 4.0% citronella oil. Preferably the carrier composition includesbetween 0.5% to 5.0% rosemary oil. Preferably the carrier compositionincludes between 3.0% to 9.0% neem oil. Preferably the carriercomposition also includes between 0.5% to 6.0% eucalyptus oil.

Most preferably the carrier composition includes 30 mls of pyrethrum(50% w/w), 20 mls of citronella, 25 mls of rosemary and 45 mls of neemoil to every one litre of wax. Preferably the fabric base material is afelt material; most preferably a polyester/cotton blend felt material.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided amethod of manufacturing an insect repellent substrate for repelling liceand the like insects for attachment to a garment, the method comprisingthe steps of:

-   -   producing a repellent carrier composition by:        -   heating a wax to a liquid state; and,        -   mixing an insect repellent with the liquid wax;    -   dipping a strip of fabric base material into the carrier        composition whilst still in the liquid state for a sufficient        length of time to allow the base material to absorb some of the        carrier composition;    -   allowing the impregnated strip of base material to cool so that        the carrier composition solidifies on the base material to form        said insect repellent substrate; and,    -   attaching the substrate to the garment whereby, in use, the        wearer's body heat causes the carrier composition to soften to        provide a controlled release of the insect repellent from the        fabric base material.

Preferably the insect repellent is a naturally occurring compound. Morepreferably the insect repellent includes an extract of the pyrethrumflower. Most preferably the insect repellent includes pyrethrum oil.

Preferably the step of producing the repellent carrier compositionfurther includes mixing one or more scented or aromatic oils with theliquid wax. Most preferably the scented oils include citronella oil androsemary oil, which are also mild insect repellents.

Preferably the step of producing the carrier composition furtherincludes mixing neem oil with the liquid wax.

Typically the garment is an item of headwear such as, for example, aheadband, hat or a cap. Alternatively the garment is an animal garment,such as, for example, a flea collar or a coat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to facilitate a better understanding of the nature of theinvention a preferred embodiment of the insect repellent substrate willnow be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical piece of insect repellent substrate inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a headband having a strip of the insect repellentsubstrate of FIG. 1 attached thereto;

FIG. 3 illustrates a strip of insect repellent substrate in accordancewith the invention having a strip of hook and loop fastener materialfixed thereto; and,

FIG. 4 illustrates a baseball cap having several strips of the insectrepellent substrate illustrated in FIG. 3 attached thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the insect repellent substrate 10 as shown inFIG. 1 comprises a piece of fabric base material 12 impregnated with arepellent carrier composition 14. Any suitable fabric base material maybe employed. In the preferred embodiment the fabric base material is afelt material. A felt material made from a cotton and polyester blendwas found to be most suitable. The fabric base material 12 shouldpreferably be sufficiently absorbent to absorb the carrier composition14 in a liquid state whilst retaining a degree of flexibility whenimpregnated with the carrier composition 14 in its solid state.

The repellent carrier composition 14 includes a mixture of wax and aninsect repellent. In this embodiment the wax is a paraffin wax, althougha naturally occurring wax such as beeswax obtained from honeycomb of thebee may also be used. The wax typically has a melting point of between60° C. to 65° C. The insect repellent employed in the carriercomposition is preferably a naturally occurring compound. In thepreferred embodiment the insect repellent includes an extract from thepyrethrum flower. Pyrethrins, the active constituent of pyrethrumflowers, are commonly used as a contact insecticide in fly-sprays.Pyrethrins are noted for the very rapid paralysis (knock-down) effectproduced on flies, mosquitoes and other insects. Chemically modifiedpyrethrins, such as permethrium, have greater persistence and othercommercially desirable properties. In the present invention, it ispreferred to use the naturally occurring pyrethrum pale extract frompyrethrum flowers grown in Kenya. Typically, a diluted pyrethrumsolution (50% w/w PBK) in an odourless isoparaffin solvent is used.Typically between 0.5% to 6.0% by volume of the pyrethrum oil solutionis employed in the repellent carrier composition.

Advantageously the carrier composition 14 also includes one or morescented or aromatic oils. The addition of scented or aromatic oils isdesirable in order to give the repellent carrier composition a pleasantaroma or scent. In addition, selected naturally occurring scented oils,such as citronella oil, rosemary oil and eucalyptus oil act as mildinsect repellents and/or have other medicinal qualities. Thus, forexample, rosemary oil is a mild insect repellent and is also thought tohelp to relieve headaches. Citronella oil also acts as an insectrepellent and provides a fresh citrus aroma. It also helps to dry upcongestion of the nasal passages. Eucalyptus oil is an antiseptic andeucalyptus vapours act to relieve congestion and breathing difficultiesthrough the nasal passages.

The carrier composition preferably also includes neem oil extracted fromthe neem tree, which is a long-lasting insect repellent. Throughextensive experimentation the inventor has found that the repellentcarrier composition should preferably include a mixture of between 0.5%to 4.0% by volume citronella oil, 0.5% to 5.0% by volume rosemary oiland 3.0% to 9.0% neem oil together with 0.5% to 6.0% by volume ofpyrethrum. These proportions were found to give the carrier compositionsufficient active components to kill any lice or nits present, balancedwith the repellent and aromatic properties of the constituents. Acarrier composition which includes 30 mls of pyrethrum (50% w/w), 20 mlsof citronella, 25 mls of rosemary and 45 mls of neem oil to every onelitre of wax has been found to be particularly effective.

The wax in the carrier composition 14 provides a controlled release ofthe insect repellent from the fabric base material 12. In use, the basematerial 12 may be sewn on the inside of a garment in a manner that willensure contact with the wearer's hair or body. For example, a strip 16of the insect repellent substrate may be sewn to the inside of aheadband 18 as shown in FIG. 2. Strips of the impregnated felt materialare cut to various sizes, ranging from 20 cm to 24 cm in length and from2.5 cm to 5.0 cm in width, are sewn into stretchy cotton fabric to formthe headband. Alternatively, strips of the impregnated felt may be sewnonto or adhered to an existing headband. When the headband 18 is worn onthe wearer's head the strip 16 of insect repellent substrate will be incontact with the wearer's hair. The body temperature of the wearer willcause the wax in the substrate to soften allowing the active andaromatic constituents of the repellent carrier composition to be slowlyreleased onto the wearer's hair and scalp. The controlled and continuousrelease of active constituents onto the wearer's hair and scalp not onlykills any existing headlice and/or nits but also prevents any furtherinfestation. In use, the strip 16 of insect repellent substrate has beenfound to provide effective treatment and prevention of headlice forapproximately 6 to 8 weeks. After this length of time most of the activeconstituents of the repellent carrier composition are found to haveleached out or evaporated from the fabric base material.

The insect repellent substrate 10 is relatively simple and inexpensiveto manufacture. Typically, strips of the felt material are cut to sizeand dipped in a preheated (to approximately 70° C.) wax solutioncontaining the pyrethrum, citronella, rosemary and neem oil in theproportions noted above. The pyrethrum oil, citronella oil, rosemary oiland neem oil are simply added to the melted wax and readily mix with thewax in view of their oily composition. The felt strips absorb the waxsolution after two or three minutes and then the impregnated felt stripsare allowed to cool so that the wax solution solidifies on the feltfabric. After approximately two minutes of cooling the impregnated feltstrips are ready to be attached to any suitable garment. The strips ofinsect repellent substrate may be attached to the garment using anyappropriate fastening, for example, by sewing, an adhesive or using ahook and loop fastener system such as Velcro (registered trade mark).

FIG. 3 illustrates a strip 20 of the insect repellent substrate having astrip of hook and loop fastener material 22 fixed thereto. One part ofthe hook and loop fastener is glued to the felt base material 10 and theother part can be attached to a garment by sewing or using a suitableself-adhesive. A baseball cap 24 is illustrated in FIG. 4 (shown upsidedown) having several strips 20 of the insect repellent substrateattached to an inside surface of the cap where they will be in directcontact with the hair and/or scalp of the wearer. Similar strips of theinsect repellent substrate can be attached to suitable animal garments,such as a flea collar worn by pet dogs and cats or on the bridle orprotective coat worn by horses, sheep and other livestock. In thisconnection, the repellent properties of the active constituents of therepellent carrier composition have also been found to repel flies andmosquitoes.

A piece of the insect repellent substrate 10 may also be used as a“night breather” to reduce congestion and aid breathing during sleep. Acarrier composition containing 30 mls by volume of citronella, 20 mls byvolume of rosemary, 30 mls by volume of eucalyptus and 5 mls by volumeof pyrethrum to every litre of wax, has been found particularlyeffective as a night breather. A piece of the insect repellent substrateapproximately 20 cm×14 cm is placed in the pillowcase or under thebottom sheet next to the mattress at the head of the bed. The nightbreather has also been found to relieve snoring in many cases. In thisapplication, the insect repellent substrate 10 may also act to treat andprevent bed infestations of lice, fleas and dust mite.

Now that a preferred embodiment of the insect repellent substrate hasbeen described in detail, it will be apparent that it has severaladvantages over the prior art methods of treating headlice, includingbut not limited to the following advantages:

-   -   (a) it provides immediate treatment as well as long-lasting        prevention;    -   (b) the naturally occurring repellents employed are less        hypo-allergenic and more environmentally friendly than the prior        art synthetic compounds;    -   (c) the scented or aromatic oils produces a fresh herbal aroma;    -   (d) it is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture; and,    -   (e) it is inconspicuous and can be easily attached to commonly        worn headwear by children, who are particularly self-conscious        about such things.

Numerous variations and modifications to the described embodiment willsuggest themselves to persons skilled in the art, in addition to thosealready described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts.For example, other types of suitable fabric base material may beemployed. All such variations and modifications are to be consideredwithin the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to bedetermined from the foregoing description and the appended claims.

1. An insect repellent insert for repelling lice and other parasiticinsects and for attachment to the inside of a garment to be worn by aperson, the insert comprising: an insert strip of an absorbent fabricbase material impregnated with a repellent carrier composition, thecarrier composition being solid at a temperature below body temperature,the insert strip being adapted to attach to the inside of a garment in amanner that will ensure continuous contact of the portion of the garmentcontaining the insect repellent substrate with the wearer's hair orbody, the carrier composition including a mixture of wax and an insectrepellent in proportions such that when exposed to body temperatureheat, the insect repellent will be controllably released from thecarrier composition, the insect repellent being present in an amountthat is non-toxic to a person but sufficient to treat and preventinfestations of lice and other parasitic insects on a person whereby, inuse, when the garment is worn by a person such that the portion of thegarment containing the insect repellent substrate is in contact withhair or skin of the person, and the person's body heat causes the insectrepellent to be controllably released from the absorbent fabric basematerial to the hair or skin of the person so as to treat or preventinfestations of lice and other parasitic insects.
 2. An insect repellentinsert as defined in claim 1, wherein the insect repellent is anaturally occurring compound.
 3. An insect repellent insert as definedin claim 2, wherein the insect repellent includes an extract from thepyrethrum flower.
 4. An insect repellent insert as defined in claim 3,wherein the insect repellent is a pyrethrum solution.
 5. An insectrepellent insert as defined in claim 1, wherein the carrier compositionfurther includes one or more scented or aromatic oils.
 6. An insectrepellent insert as defined in claim 5, wherein the carrier compositionincludes citronella oil and rosemary oil.
 7. An insect repellent insertas defined in claim 2, wherein the carrier composition further includesneem oil.
 8. An insect repellent insert as defined in claim 1, whereinthe wax is a paraffin wax.
 9. An insect repellent insert as defined inclaim 4, wherein the carrier composition includes between 0.5% to 6.0%by volume of pyrethrum.
 10. An insect repellent insert as defined inclaim 9, wherein the carrier composition includes between 0.5% to 4.0%citronella oil.
 11. An insect repellent insert as defined in claim 10,wherein the carrier composition includes between 0.5% to 5.0% rosemaryoil.
 12. An insect repellent insert as defined in claim 11, wherein thecarrier composition includes between 3.0% to 9.0% neem oil.
 13. Aninsect repellent insert as defined in claim 12, wherein the carriercomposition also includes between 0.5% to 6.0% eucalyptus oil.
 14. Aninsect repellent insert as defined in claim 13, wherein the carriercomposition includes 30 mls of pyrethrum (50% w/w), 20 mls ofcitronella, 25 mls of rosemary and 45 mls of neem oil to every one litreof wax.
 15. An insect repellent insert as defined in claim 1, whereinthe absorbent fabric base material is a felt material.
 16. An insectrepellent insert as defined in claim 15, wherein the absorbent fabricbase material is a polyester/cotton blend felt material.
 17. A method ofmanufacturing an insect repellent insert for repelling lice and otherparasitic insects for attachment to a garment to be worn by a person,the method comprising: producing a repellent carrier composition byheating a wax to a liquid state, and mixing an insect repellent with theliquid wax to form a mixture; the wax and insect repellent being inproportions such that the carrier composition is solid at temperaturesbelow body temperature and will controllably release the insectrepellent at a temperature corresponding to the body temperature of aperson; dipping a strip of absorbent fabric base material into thecarrier composition while still in the liquid state for a sufficientlength of time to allow the absorbent base material to absorb some ofthe carrier composition and such that the insect repellent is present inan amount that is non-toxic to the person but sufficient to treat andprevent infestations of lice and other parasitic insects on a person;allowing the impregnated strip of base material to cool so that thecarrier composition solidifies on the absorbent base material to formsaid insect repellent insert; and, attaching the insert to the inside ofa garment in a manner that will ensure continuous contact of the portionof the garment containing the insect repellent insert with the hair orbody of a wearer of the garment, whereby, in use, when the garment isworn by a person such that the wearer's body heat causes the carriercomposition to controllably release the insect repellent from theabsorbent fabric base material insert to the hair or skin of the person.18. A method of manufacturing an insect repellent insert as defined inclaim 17, wherein the insect repellent is a naturally occurringcompound.
 19. A method of manufacturing an insect repellent insert asdefined in claim 18, wherein the insect repellent includes an extract ofthe pyrethrum flower.
 20. A method of manufacturing an insect repellentinsert as defined in claim 19, wherein the insect repellent includes apyrethrum solution.
 21. A method of manufacturing an insect repellentinsert as defined in claim 17, wherein the step of producing therepellent carrier composition further includes mixing one or morescented or aromatic oils with the liquid wax.
 22. A method ofmanufacturing an insect repellent insert as defined in claim 21, whereinthe scented oils include citronella oil and rosemary oil.
 23. A methodof manufacturing an insect repellent insert as defined in claim 17,wherein the step of producing the carrier composition further includesmixing neem oil with the liquid wax.
 24. An insect repellent insert asdefined in claim 1, wherein the garment is an item of headwear.
 25. Aninsect repellent insert as defined in claim 24, wherein the garment is aheadband and said insect repellent insert is sewn onto the inside of astretch fabric forming the headband.
 26. An insect repellent insert asdefined in claim 1, wherein the insect repellent insert is removablyattached to the garment using hook and loop fastening material.
 27. Aninsect repellent insert as defined in claim 26, wherein the garment is abaseball cap.
 28. An insect repellant insert as defined in claim 1wherein the mixture comprises at least 76% by volume of the wax.
 29. Amethod of manufacturing an insect repellant insert as defined in claim17 wherein the mixture comprises at least 76% by volume of the wax. 30.An insect repellent insert for repelling lice and other parasiticinsects and for attachment to the inside of a garment to be worn by aperson, the insert comprising: an insert strip of absorbent fabric basematerial impregnated with a repellent carrier composition, the carriercomposition being solid at a temperature below body temperature, theinsert strip being adapted to attach to the inside of a garment in amanner that will ensure continuous contact of the portion of the garmentcontaining the insect repellent substrate with the wearer's hair orbody, the carrier composition including a mixture of wax and an insectrepellent comprising an extract from the pyrethrum flower in proportionssuch that the carrier composition will controllably release the insectrepellent at a temperature corresponding to the body temperature of aperson, the insect repellent being present in an amount between 0.5% to6.0% by volume of said carrier composition, said amount being non-toxicto a person but sufficient to treat and prevent infestations of lice andother parasitic insects on a person whereby, in use, when the garment isworn by a person such that the portion of the garment containing theinsect repellent insert is in contact with hair or skin of the person,the person's body heat causes the controlled release of the insectrepellent from the absorbent fabric base material to the hair or skin ofthe person.